Revision as of 17:52, 13 June 2009

Larkin Allen Collins Jr.(July 19, 1952 – January 23, 1990) was one of the founding members and lead guitarists of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Allen Collins co-wrote twenty-four of the band's songs with late frontman [[Ronnie Van Zant. Collins was a self-taught master guitarist, and his guitar playing and songwriting skills were vital to the success of the band during his time with them. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida.

Musical career

Allen Collins joined Skynyrd just two weeks after Ronnie Van Zant and Gary Rossington, along with Bob Burns and Larry Junstrom. So came the birth of Lynyrd Skynyrd in the summer of 1964. Allen Collins and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant co-wrote many of the biggest Skynyrd hits, including "Free Bird", "Gimme Three Steps", and "That Smell". The band received national success beginning in 1973 while opening for The Who on their Quadrophenia tour. The Skynyrd plane crashed into a forest in Mississippi killing three band members, including Van Zant. Collins was seriously injured in the crash, suffering three broken vertebrae in his neck and severe damage to his left arm. While amputation was recommended, Collins' father refused and Allen eventually recovered and went forth to play in two more bands.

During the early 1980s, Collins continued to perform on stage in The Rossington-Collins Band which enjoyed modest success, releasing two albums (Here, There & Back, This Is The Way), and charting a few singles (notably "Don't Misunderstand Me"). In 1980, Collins' wife Kathy suddenly died. The pressures of the road and the grief over th loss of his beloved wife led to the dissolution of the Rossington Collins Band in 1982.

In 1983, Allen Collins began a new musical venture -- Allen Collins Band -- which released one album, "Here, There & Back" in 1983. The six band members were Skynyrd keyboardist Billy Powell and Bassist Leon Wilkeson, along with lead singer Jimmy Dougherty, drummer Derek Hess, and guitarists Barry Lee Harwood and Randall Hall. During this time, the musical landscape was changing dramatically, and MCA did little to promote Allen Collins Band. Consequently, Here, There & Back is the only album that the band ever produced, as they were dropped from the label.

Accident and Band Reunion

In 1986, Allen Collins was involved in a motor vehicle accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down and limited the use of his upper body. Allen Collins never played guitar on stage again.

All remaining members of Lynyrd Skynyrd reunited to perform in 1987, but due to his injury Collins could not perform with them. He was, however, an integral part of the Tribute Tour, acting as musical director. Because of Collins' accident, the band donated a sizable amount of concert proceeds from the 1987-88 tour to the Miami Project, which is involved in treatment of paralysis.

ROLL FOR ROCK

In 1987, Allen Collins met Bill Massey, Jr. The two young men both suffered spinal cord injuries in the prime of their lives, and they both wanted to do something big in memory of Ronnie Van Zant to raise awareness about physical challenges. Together, they founded ROLL FOR ROCK Wheelchair Events and Benefit Concerts. The mission of ROLL FOR ROCK is to use music to educate people about life with physical challenges, and to provide a platform for truly helping paraplegics and those living with other disabilities. ROLL FOR ROCK hosts benefit concerts to raise proceeds to benefit wheelchair sports events. Through these rewarding wheelchair games, participants gain peace, greater acceptance from society, and confidence as they proudly showcase their athletic prowess.

Today, ROLL FOR ROCK continues to raise awareness, provide opportunities and particpate in medical research that is seeking a cure for spinal cord injury. ROLL FOR ROCK released the 25th anniversary edition of "HERE, THERE & BACK" in 2008. Proceeds from the sale of the CD will benefit Allen Collins' children, and enable ROLL FOR ROCK to continue with the mission. Visit www.rollforrock.com and www.allencollins.com for more information.

Death

Allen Collins died January 23, 1990 from chronic pneumonia a complication of the paralysis. He is buried beside his wife in Jacksonville, Florida.

Instruments

For most of Skynyrd's tenure, Collins used a Gibson Firebird guitar fitted with a chrome, dog-eared P-90 pickup in the bridge position and a Gibson "teaspoon" nickel vibrato arm. In 1976 he switched to a natural-finished korina Gibson Explorer and would use that all the way through his tenure with the Allen Collins Band. Starting in late 1977, he would also use a Gibson Les Paul Jr. occasionally. And on "Gimme Back My Bullets", "Sweet Home Alabama", and many other songs, he used a Sunburst Fender Stratocaster after Ed King left. Collins has been filmed playing an all-black, rosewood neck Stratocaster with white single-coil pickups and white control knobs.

Notes

1. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=4676
2. Brant 2002, pg. 18
3. Odom 2002, pg. 34

References

• Brant, Marley. Freebirds: The Lynyrd Skynyrd Story. Billboard Books; New York; 2002. ISBN 0-8230-8321-7
• Odom, Gene with Frank Dorman. Lynyrd Skynyrd: Remembering the Free Birds of Southern Rock. Broadway Books; New York; 2002. ISBN 0-7679-1026-5.

External links

• Allen Collins at Find a Grave

• 1952 births
• 1990 deaths
• American rock guitarists
• Lynyrd Skynyrd members
• People from Jacksonville, Florida
• Musicians from Florida
• Survivors of aviation accidents or incidents